April 10, 2013

Cars Land—Photo Tour, Part 2

Here is part 2 of my Cars Land Photo Tour! See part 1.

Let’s continue down through Radiator Springs… just past the Cozy Cones on your left, you will find the Radiator Springs Curios shop.

SHOPPING. Between the Cozy Cones and Luigi’s Tires, you’ll find one of the last shops in Radiator Springs… the Curios.

SHOPPING. Across the intersection you’ll find Ramone’s House of Body Art, another store that just expanded since the grand opening.

ATTRACTION. While I was so looking forward to the big Radiator Racers ride, I was super excited to be able to ride on Luigi’s Flying Tires, a ride that is based on a Tomorrowland Ride from the 1960’s: the Flying Saucers. They were never able to get that ride functioning to its full capacity so I really hoped they worked the kinks out for Luigi…

The line itself moves very slowly for a ride that seems to end as soon as you figure out how to get moving. Right before you board, pay special attention to the diagrams on how to ride.

You [and your ride buddy together] must lean in order to get your tire to move… but not lean too much. Or too little. There’s a special sweet spot that will really get your tire to zoom. With only 2 rides under my belt, I have yet to really master getting this ride down. Hope that changes next time.

The below photo shows just how delayed this post has been… these inflated beach balls have long since been removed from the ride but as my only photo of the ride itself, this will have to do. 🙂

ATTRACTION. And of course, the ride everyone waited years for… similar to the Test Track at Epcot, Radiator Springs Racers covers 6 acres of this 12 acre land.

Before you even get in line, a helpful tip for many is to get in the single rider line. It cuts the wait time down by over half the time if not more. But if you are in need of a Fast Pass, make sure you grab one outside of Bugs Land—these Fast Passes go fast!

And the third option, actually waiting in line… it truly is an immersive line experience. So many items to check out, even the very realistic mold on the rocks. 🙂

The ride itself truly takes you within this work of art. Getting to go up to the bridge from the movies and ride along with the other cars is just such a neat experience for any Cars fan.

But once you get inside the ride, the Cars come to life and away you go through an animated Radiator Springs, full of life size audio-animatorics.

Then comes the racing, once your car goes through either its final paint job by Ramone or a quick tune up at Luigi’s, your car is ready to race! Good luck!

Before you leave Cars Land, make sure you take a walk toward Pacific Wharf to be able to get the best look at the rockwork of Radiator Springs. It’s really the best place for photo opps too!

To get to this walkway, head for the gap between Ramone’s and Flo’s V8 Cafe.